What Was Once Lost Can Be Found
by AnimeFreak1123
Summary: In this daring new sequel to The True Mezzanotte, Squalo and Emilio join Vero, Antonio, and Romario - along with two new OCs, Vivian Charmaine Thompson (a young woman gifted with finding anyone and anything) and Shigeru Abe (a mysterious new recruit from the Vongola family) - in finding Vero's parents and grandparents. Read as they encounter new enemies and shocking truths!
1. Stranded Discoveries

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters or universe of Katekyo Hitman Reborn. All the credit goes to Akira Amano. I do however; own all OCs; Rosetta, Nero, Vero, and others that are in this story.**

**Also a quick note: This is a SEQUEL. That means there is a first part to this story. That also means that if you haven't read The True Mezzanotte yet, you should head back to my list of fanfics and read it before you continue. But if you have read it, then by all means continue on my friend…**

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"R-Rosetta…?" Annalisa uttered with wonder as she and her husband Xaviero gazed at their daughter with utter shock and wonder.

Their daughter had certainly grown up to be a beautiful young woman, standing at five feet seven inches tall with long wavy reddish brown hair and her ever so beautiful clear blue colored eyes.

They were happy to see Dino Cavallone standing at her side, looking surprised too. He had grown into a fine young man; a perfect match for their daughter. He stood five feet taller than her with short ruffled golden blond hair – his bangs slightly covering the right side of his face – and chocolate brown colored eyes.

The two of them had a young girl about four years old with them, with red brown hair like Rosetta's and chocolate brown colored eyes like Dino's. Altogether, the three were wearing tattered clothes, as they had been stranded on the island too, and the little girl looked as if she was wearing her father's shirt.

"Mom…Dad…?" Rosetta uttered in response, not believing what she saw before her. Her mother and father were there in the flesh, slightly aged and wearing worn, tattered clothing.

Annalisa Mezzanotte had sparse grey streaks in her long flowing raven hair and her green eyes were full of love and welcoming to her daughter. Xaviero had only specks of grey in his beard, but had laugh lines branching out from the corners of his clear blue eyes.

"Is that…" she continued, trailing off with tears in her eyes. "Are you really…?"

"Yes, it is truly us, my Little Rose." Her father answered with a heartwarming smile.

Rosetta, upon hearing her nickname, let the tears flow down her face as she ran to hug her parents. Dino watched them respectfully from afar, feeling happy for his wife but also lost at what to do at the moment. That was when his daughter tugged at his pant leg.

He gazed down to her to see her clinging to him and looking up at him with a questioning and anxious expression on her face. Knowing what she was thinking about – for she spoke very rarely, if she ever spoke at all – he kneeled down and answered and answered her question gently.

"I'll bet you're wondering who Mommy is hugging, aren't you?" Dino asked with a smile as Alessa nodded in reply shyly. "Well, they are very good people, I assure you. They are Mommy's parents and your grandparents."

At that answer, Alessa's eyes widened with surprise as she turned her gaze to her mother and grandparents, who had finished hugging. Rosetta then begun with introductions.

"I'm sure that you've already guessed that this is my husband, Dino Cavallone, mom and dad," she stated as they approached him. "And this is our cute little daughter, Alessa."

"Oh my, she is just adorable!" Annalisa exclaimed as she fawned over her new granddaughter. "She's just the perfect combination of you and Dino!"

Alessa just hid behind her father's leg in response, which only made her that much cuter.

"Say dad…" Rosetta started slowly. "If you're here, then where are the other Mezzanotte famiglia from the inner circle?"

"They are here with us of course." Xaviero replied. "In fact, they all should be out gathering supplies and food right about now."

After he had finished, his expression changed to his "business mode", and his wife picked up on this and offered to take Alessa on a little walk on the beach. At first the small Cavallone daughter was a bit shy, but at the mention of searching for beautiful seashells, she left with her grandmother willingly.

Once they were out of earshot, Xaviero got right down to business by asking, "So, I assume that you being here means that Nero had something to do with it?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Dino answered solemnly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"That means that there's no one of Mezzanotte blood left to stop him…" Xaviero commented with thought.

"Not necessarily." Rosetta stated; a hopeful tone in her voice. "Dino and I had another child, before Alessa. His name is Vero Mezzanotte Cavallone and when I fought Nero for the boss title, I decided to leave my brother's fate in his hands."

"And we have all our confidence in him." Dino added with determination.

"Oh don't worry about that; I trust your decision." Xaviero said in response before turning to gaze at the horizon. "I just hope that your boy that you've put all your trust in succeeds…"

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**And that's your little taster for things to come. Sorry that I didn't put this up when I said I would (late November). I had a little bit of writer's block, but now I'm on a roll! Next chapter might come sometime next week and then after that, I'm not sure how updates will be. It might be a little spotty, seeing as I'm working most of the day, but I hope you guys will stick with it.**

**The real story starts in the next chapter! XD**


	2. Two Years of Searching

And Vero did succeed, as he defeated Nero and opened his uncle's eyes to his mistakes. The defeated man then left willingly with the Vindiche to prison and Vero decided to search for his very alive and missing parents…

Two grueling and trying years had passed since then, and Vero still hadn't found them.

"And now we've come full circle…" he uttered softly as he stood in front of the very graves he stood at two years ago.

Of course, he was more mature now, at twenty-one years old. Vero had stayed the same height of five feet, eleven and a half inches tall, but grew his hair out to his shoulders, with the bottom half now dyed red brown like his mother's. He had adopted his own style too, as he wore a red V-neck shirt under a grey hooded jacket all under a black formal coat. He kept the same belt, jeans, and blue converse shoes. Just about the only thing he adopted from his father's style were three small blue flame tattoos on the inside of his left wrist.

"Where are you, Mom…Dad…?" Vero asked himself as he now was kneeling at the stone. "Two years have passed by so quickly and I still haven't found you…" – he trailed off solemnly before continuing – "I'm actually thinking of calling the search off, unless we can find something-."

At that moment, his cell phone started ringing. On the second ring he stood up and answered it.

"Vero Cavallone speaking." He stated seriously with an underlying tone of confusion at the unexpected call.

The person on the other line picked up on this and in response he said, "Ah, sorry Vero. Is this a bad time?"

"Oh no. Of course not Mr. Emilio." The Cavallone boss answered as he immediately recognized the voice of his mentor and the principal of the mafia school he used to attend.

"Geez! I told you not to call me that kid. It makes me feel old! Call me uncle like you used to instead!"

Vero smiled at his mentor's reaction before he continued. "So what do you need, Uncle Emilio?" he asked.

"Now that's better!" the man on the other end stated with relief. "Anyway, I've been doing a bit of my own digging around, and I believe that I have what you need to find your parents."

"Y-You do?...Wait, are you sure what you have will work, because we've been at this for two years and-."

"Of course it'll work! She's gotten great feedback from other famiglia, and I've already talked with her. She'll agree to do her thing, but it's for a small fee…So what do you say?"

Vero thought for a moment. Could he trust this method? He had tried every other possible thing, but to no avail. This was his last chance, and he'd take it, no matter what the cost!

"I'll be there as soon as possible Emilio!" Vero answered with determination before ending the call.

He was then about to head out to find his right hand men to tell them, when they approached him right that moment.

Romario and Antonio had pretty much stayed the same, apart from becoming a little more aged and grey in some areas of their hair. The two of them had been his great uncles in a way, and now they were both his right hand men – something they didn't want to share, so Romario stayed the right hand for the Cavallone side, and Antonio the Mezzanotte side.

Romario wore the same black suit and tie he always wore, and Antonio wore the same turtleneck and long dark brown coat that he always wore when in Italy.

"I was just about to come looking for you two." Vero stated before noticing the grave looks on their faces. "What's happened…?"

"It's the Alvisio family again." Romario answered, as Vero sighed with frustration.

"They're causing trouble in our territory again boss." Antonio added. "There is a good chance that they're just there to mess with us, but what do you want to do?"

Vero thought for a minute before walking towards the front of the mansion. His two men followed obediently behind, and Romario, wondering what he was up to, spoke up and said, "Boss?"

"If we let them go, the Alvisio famiglia might think that they can do what they want in territory that doesn't belong to them." The Cavallone boss explained. "I say that we go knock them around a bit and let them know that it's not their place to go messing around in other families' territories."

"A very good idea, boss." Antonio agreed obediently.

"We'll go make the preparations." Romario added before the two of them left to go gather some men together and get the weapons they would need on their little mission…

Unfortunately, what seemed like forty-five minutes took two hours instead, and the three men were late in meeting up with Emilio.

"So when we found you earlier to tell you about our territorial problems," Antonio started as they approached the mafia school. "You were actually about to look for us to tell us that Emilio knows a way for us to find Rosetta, Dino, and the others who went missing?"

Just as they walked around the school building to get to the back, Vero answered with, "Yes, but unfortunately those Alvisio thugs made us late to this meeting…"

"You've got that right!" a young lady exclaimed with frustration from a nearby picnic table as soon as the men came to the back. "The nerve of you, keeping a young lady waiting!"

"Well excuse me little girl," Vero said aloud in response. "But we were out taking care of some very important territorial matters."

The moment he said "little girl" she whipped her head around and shot a glare at him.

She stood at five feet tall, which did make her seem like a child in appearance. She had short fiery red hair with orange tinged ends and a yellow headband which separated her bangs from the rest of her hair. Her bangs had two parts, with the sides longer than the rest of her hair, ending at her chest, and a long middle which almost covered her red brown colored eyes that were still glaring at him from behind large green square framed glasses. She was currently wearing an oversized pinkish purple pullover hoodie with tight black jogging shorts and brown laced boots that went to just below her knee. Around her neck was a leather cord with a gold bejeweled emerald ring looped on it, and freckles adorned her cheeks.

Emilio stood with her, ever the same handsome bachelor with not a wrinkle, but matured with age and even grew some facial hair in the form of a groomed goatee. He wore his same suit jacket and formal shirt with jeans style that he had when he was trying to court Vero's mother over ten years ago.

"Er, this delightful young lady is my niece, Vivian Charmaine Thompson." He spoke up after he cleared his throat. "She's come all the way from America to help you in your search, Vero."

At that moment Vivian approached Romario, held out her hand, and said respectfully, "It is an honor to finally meet you, Mr. Cavallone," – she lowered her voice before continuing – "even though you did keep me waiting…"

"My deepest apologies Miss Vivian," Romario stated gently in reply.

"But I'm Vero Mezzanotte Cavallone." The Cavallone boss interjected with authority. "The eleventh boss of both the Mezzanotte and Cavallone famiglia."

"Oh! I wasn't expecting such a _young boy_ to be a boss of two of the most infamous mafia families." Vivian commented with a sly smirk.

Vero's eye twitched with annoyance as he rebuked with, "Well, if I'm just a _'young boy'_ to you then you're just a _little girl_ to me."

At this, Vivian started glaring at Vero again, and he responded with his own piercing glare at her. This glaring match went on for a good five minutes, until Antonio spoke up to halt the two young people from boring holes into each other.

"If I may Boss, I believe that you must treat this young lady with respect." He said. "After all, she is the one who has the say of whether she'll help you or not," – he gazed at Emilio – "Isn't she?"

"Yes." Emilio replied. "She is the one I called you about – the one who can help you."

"What are her abilities then?" Romario asked with curiosity.

"I can find anything and anyone, anywhere and in anytime!" Vivian answered confidently. "Missing items, missing persons, name it and I'll find it for you, within reason and for a small fee!"

Upon discovering this new hope, Vero's goal to find his parents was renewed. Instantly he knew this young lady was the answer, and was about to ask for her assistance in the search when…

"And that's why we need her!" an unfamiliar male's voice called out.

"Right! So back off pals!" another male's voice added.

Suddenly the group tensed up, as all the men reached for their weapons and begun to search the area for the source of the voices.

"There they are!" Antonio exclaimed as he pointed the two men out.

The others became alert and turned to face them too. One of them was about six feet tall and slim with fair skin and hair. The other was a foot taller, broad and muscled, with dark skin and hair. The both of them wore long dark green cloaks pinned on the side by a button. The only other clothing that was visible besides that was the grey pants they wore which were stuffed into black boots.

"You're coming with us girly!" the slim one ordered with a smirk.

"No way Jose!" Vivian said immediately in reply with her arms crossed. "I'm not going anywhere with such strange men like you!"

"Wha-?!" The muscled man stated with surprise as he turned to his partner. "I thought you told me that she knows who we are!"

"That's what the boss said!" the slim guy hissed in reply.

"Wait a minute…" Vero said slowly with thought. "I thought I recognized you two! You were with those Alvisio punks at our scuffle!"

The two men, now identified, jumped when they realized that they were caught.

"Snap! It's the Cavallone boss!" the muscled man exclaimed. "What do we do now?!"

"We get revenge for our beaten brothers of course!" the slim man replied with a twisted smirk. "Kill all the men but spare the girl!"

"Not on my watch!" Emilio stated as he stepped out in front of his niece to protect her.

Immediately the enemy shifted apart to split up the attacks and get more hits. Vero gazed at each of his right hand men and reciprocated orders through his stare and a nod. Just as both sides were about to attack, the large muscled man let out an agonizing cry and fell to his knees, revealing his attacker who was behind him.

"Long flowing white hair…" Vivian stated with awe as she took in his features. "And a sword for a hand?!"

Vero took one look at the attacker and knew exactly who it was as he said slowly, "What are you doing here…Squalo…?"

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**XD I know I'm bad, but I had to cut it off here! Anyways, first new character introduced, and the other will come up in the next chapter. If you want to see them, just go on over to my gallery at deviant art (the link is in my profile) and they'll be in my Katekyo Hitman Reborn folder.**

**I've also started on the cover (with the skeletons for the characters drawn out) and will hopefully have it up sometime next month.**

**Also, I want to tell you now that submission of new chapters will be spotty. With work starting again next week, who knows when I'll have the motivation to write new chapters? But I will try my hardest to submit at least every other week.**

**That's all I've got to say so far, so enjoy your day! ;)**


	3. Taking the First Step

"VOI! What do you mean, 'What am I doing here'?! I'm answering that damn cryptic letter you sent to me!" the long white haired man named Squalo shouted out in anger, pointing his sword at Vero.

The slightly aged Varia right hand man stood at five feet eleven inched tall with long flowing silver white hair and silver grey colored eyes that were still fierce but a little calm. He was currently wearing a black low V-neck shirt and a grey hoodie jacket, all under a greyish lavender trench coat, so that others wouldn't recognize him as Varia so quickly. With the trench coat he wore black jeans with black double buckled ankle boots and attached to his fake left hand was the sword he never went anywhere without.

Squalo was about to say something else, when the man he had felled started to groan and get back up. The veteran Varia member noticed this immediately and kicked the man back down before stabbing him in the back.

As the man breathed his last, Squalo looked down on him with disgust and said, "And stay down, you Alvisio scum." – he paused and then took a look around – "Eh? Where'd the other one go?"

That's when the slim man took his chance. He came out of hiding and jumped at Squalo's back as he shouted. The white haired man turned around quickly to counterattack when a couple of throwing knives zinged through the air and hit the slim man square in the chest.

As he fell dead in front of a mildly surprised Squalo, a young man unknown to the party emerged from the brush that surrounded the area.

He looked to be the same age as Vero, and was the same height as Squalo, with golden yellow colored eyes and bright teal hair. His hair was styled in a half shave, with the left side long and ending just under his chin, and the right side shaved, with his sideburn grown out and braided.

He wore a black turtle necked swallow tail jacket with green accents and underside and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He also wore dark grey pants, black boots, and black fingerless gloves. Lastly, he had various piercings; one hoop on the left side of his lips, one on his right eyebrow, and one on his right ear connected by a chain to a cuff. They were all silver.

While everyone looked on with confusion at the new arrival, the man with teal hair took the chance to introduce himself.

"Hey there, my name's Shigeru Abe." He said with a friendly tone and matching smile. "I'm a new recruit from the Vongola famiglia, sent by the Vongola boss directly to come help you in your ventures, and to gain some field experience on the way."

Just as Vero was going to welcome him into the search party, Squalo walked up to the man who had just introduced himself and grabbed his collar. "We don't need any help from Vongola trash, so go home!" he growled.

"I save your ass from that Alvisio punk and this is the thanks I get?" Shigeru asked in response with a dark tone in his voice. "If all of Varia is as ungrateful as you, then I'm glad that our families are counted as separate."

The two of them glared at each other with loathing until Vero stepped in to be mediator.

"Hey look, I can try to be nice about this but I know it won't work." He stated seriously as he took a few steps closer to them. "So I'll be blunt. They're my relatives, which means that I'm the head of this search party and I call the shots. Shigeru stays, and that's my final word."

Squalo thought about the Cavallone boss' verdict for quite a while before he growled, sighed, and finally let go of Shigeru's collar.

"The Cavallone brat might've let you into our group, but I'll be keeping my eye on you." Squalo said to him in a low voice, and then turned to Vero with menacing eyes. "You've got balls brat. You should count your lucky stars that you're a Cavallone and a Mezzanotte, or you'd be dead right now…"

Vero responded by rubbing the back of his neck and laughing nervously. Emilio then chose this time to speak up.

"Well, now that everyone's gathered here – at least, I hope…" he announced, breaking the awkward silence. "Why don't we go ahead to Vero's place and discuss what our next step will be?"

The others in the group agreed, and they all left for the Cavallone manor, where Vero appealed to Vivian for her help. She just gave a shrug and said, "Sure, sounds exciting. I've got nothing better to do this summer anyway."

"So, do you need anything to get started on the search?" Antonio asked.

"Where they were last is a good place to take the first step…" the red haired female replied with thought.

At this comment, Vero, Antonio, and Romario became a little pale and tense as the memories of that fearful night flowed through their minds. They stayed like that for a moment, before Romario withdrew a key from his inside breast pocket and said, "Follow me.

They all did so, with Vero and Antonio bringing up the rear, and stopped with Romario in front of a lonely pair of double doors. The Cavallone's right hand man hesitated for a moment, then steeled himself as he unlocked and opened the doors.

Inside was an awful scene that had been untouched for nearly seven years, with the furniture and sheets still in disarray and a now long crusted pool of blood in the center of the floor. Those who knew very well what had happened went pale and looked away, not wanting to relive the sorrows that followed the scene that had befallen in that room.

Shigeru took one look at the crusty pool and started uttering profanities before he turned around, looking like he was about to vomit. Vivian went pale and was about to do the same as she started to gag.

But she caught herself and gazed at Vero while saying, "I-I think it might be a little too late to find them…"

"No, it's not Miss Vivian." Antonio stated in response before he went on to explain the whole situation to her. When he was done, Vivian and Shigeru looked utterly confused.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute." The teal haired man said as he shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "So seven years ago, Vero's uncle breaks into this manor to kill his parents, but in reality he really sent them away to some unknown location?"

"That's the gist of it." Romario said in reply.

The young teal haired male turned away and sighed, muttering about how crazy he thinks the Mezzanotte family is, while Vivian stepped into the room.

"Let's see what we can find here…" she said half to herself as she began to observe her surroundings, touching things here, smelling things there. A few minutes later, she stepped out, looking a little disappointed.

"Well?" Emilio asked expectantly. "Did you find anything?"

"No, not even a vision." Vivian replied with contemplation. "So we'll have to go about it a different way. Vero, do you have any heirlooms, something that was handed down maybe?" – she then noticed the two flame rings that he was wearing – "Like those rings on your fingers. May I have a look at them?"

"Uh, sorry to sound rude, but that would have to be a no." the Cavallone boss answered as he backed away a little. "For too long my mom has fended off many who've tried to get their hands on the ring, including my uncle Nero. I'm not going to just throw all of that hard work away and just let anyone take ahold of it. I'll need to gain your trust first…"

"Alright then." Vivian stated, taken aback as she crossed her arms. "Do you have _anything else_ I can get a reading from?"

The rest of the group thought for a moment, until Shigure spoke up and gave his suggestion.

"Well…" he said hesitantly. "How about we use Dino's whip, Rosetta's pole staff, or maybe even their box animals?"

"That's a good idea…" Vero replied slowly. "But uncle Nero cut my dad's whip clean in half during our battle."

"And Lady Rosetta's weapon disappeared along with her." Antonio added.

"As well as their box animals." Romario added further.

"Great!" Squalo shouted with annoyance and anger. "So now we have nothing and our trail's gone stale!"

"No." Vero announced thoughtfully. "At least not yet. There is something that could still help us out." – he turned to his right hand men – "Could you lead everyone to the meeting room while I go and get it?"

The two of them nodded, as the group then separated from the Cavallone boss. A few minutes passed before he made his way into the meeting room. Everyone turned to face him as he presented the long thin item wrapped in cloth and said with determination, "This should be able to help us come closer to pinpointing my relatives."

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**I am so sorry for the delay! First there was the Valentines one-shots, then there was the writer's block, and then I had to rewrite the whole chapter because I had been away too long. To make it up to you guys, I finally finished the cover! I hope you enjoy it in all its glory and you can have a closer look at it on my DA page!**

**As a final note, I won't promise, but I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can! Until then, bye bye!**


	4. To China!

Vivian took one look at the long wrapped item in Vero's hands and said, "What is that? A sword?"

"Not just any sword." Emilio answered with a knowing smirk while Vero removed the cords and cloth. "It's the Mezzanotte family sword; Forte Amore, borne from the mind of Xaviero Mezzanotte himself and crafted by one of the best blacksmiths in the world, at least, so I've been told."

Squalo gazed silently at the sword for a minute with thought. Vero noticed this, and that's when the Varia member commented with, "Voi, what's up with that? Have you quit practicing your swordsmanship already?"

"Ah, I can see why you would say that…" Vero said in reply after glancing at his sword. "But no, I haven't given up yet. I'm actually training with a practice sword, so I won't break or damage this one. Might need it for the journey anyway." – he then walked over to the table and set the sword down before he turned to Vivian – "You think you can get anything from this?"

Vivian moved her gaze from Vero to the sword before she answered thoughtfully.

"Well I do feel some sort of energy coming from it…" she said as she slowly reached out towards it. "May I?"

Vero allowed her to, so she took Forte Amore in her hands gingerly and closed her eyes. For a moment it seemed like nothing was going to happen, until Vivian jerked quickly, and then jerked again as she came back, panting for air.

"A man…with black hair…He has the sword…" she stated with urgency, getting all of the details out so she wouldn't forget. "He's…He's walking through an ornate front door into…into…" – she paused for a moment to catch her breath and remember what she saw – "It looks sort of like…a yellow golden hall lined with deep blue carpeting?"

"Well the man with the black hair and sword is obviously Vero's psycho of an uncle." Squalo commented.

"And the place she described happens to be the entranceway to the Mezzanotte manor, before it was wrecked by Nero himself." Antonio added while he adjusted his glasses.

"Does that mean that our next clue could be there?" Shigure asked.

"There's a possibility that it could." Romario answered with thought as he then turned to Vero. "What do you think, boss?"

The Cavallone boss pondered for a moment before he gazed at the group's worn expressions.

The day had been a long one, what with the scuffle with the Alvisio family and the gathering of the group. Not to mention that Squalo, Shigure, and Vivian had all travelled so far to join in the search and probably needed some rest.

"I believe we need to rest for the night." Vero replied authoritatively. "That way we'll be ready to regroup in the morning and continue the search."

The others agreed, and so they all settled in for a good night's sleep…

That is, except for Squalo, who was making the rounds because he sensed that someone else was awake too. He was never really a sound sleeper anyway.

Mere minutes later, he was pounding on Vero's bedroom shouting, "VOI! Open up!"

"What do you want so late at night that you have to wake up the whole mansion, Squalo?" the Cavallone boss asked tiredly as he opened the door.

"I caught this rat snooping around in your office!" the Silver haired man replied as he pulled Shigure forward by his collar.

Vero instantly became alert, looking to Shigure for an answer with deep concern. The teal haired male hesitated for a moment and then let it out as he answered with, "Look, I was just searching for the bathroom, okay?!"

For what seemed like forever, the Cavallone boss narrowed his eyes at Shigure, trying to see any sign that Shigure might be lying. After noticing that he saw no fault in the teal haired man, Vero told Squalo to let him go.

"But-." The silver haired man started to protest. "I saw him going through your files!"

"I was looking for a map of the manor in them!" Shigure stated in his defense.

"See? We do have some in our files." Vero added, noticing that Squalo was about to protest again. "Look, I heard what you had to say, and I saw that he wasn't lying. I'm tired and I want to get back to sleep. Good night Squalo."

And with that, Vero closed the door, leaving a growling and annoyed Squalo with a trembling Shigure.

"Can…Can you let me go now…?" Shigure asked hesitantly, earning a menacing glare from the man holding him. Shigure jumped, wondering what the crazy Varia member would do next, but he just sighed angrily and let him go before stalking off down the hallway…

"Okay so…" Shigure stated the next day as the group stood at the doors to the Mezzanotte main hideout. "Ladies first I guess?"

All the males then turned to Vivian in response and all she had to say was, "Yeah, sure I could…"

The doors then opened, and as soon as she stepped over the threshold, she collapsed onto the floor and blacked out.

"Vivian!" Vero shouted as he ran to her, the others not falling too far behind. After shaking her, trying to wake her up, he gazed up at Emilio for an answer.

"The stronger the lead, the stronger effect it has on her." Vivian's uncle explained. "Right now you could say that she's taking a trip back to the past…"

* * *

"_Ugh," Vivian uttered as she became conscious, sitting up and rubbing her temples. "No matter how many times this happens, I still haven't gotten used to it!" – she shook her head a little before analyzing her surroundings – "Looks like I'm back in my vision again, which means…"_

_She turned around, and just at that moment the doors opened, revealing the young man that the others had identified as Vero's uncle Nero._

_He was pretty young, looking to be in his early teen years, and stood at five feet tall. His very dark blue – almost black – hair was in a normal short cut with his bangs nearly covering his dark blue eyes – one of which had the telltale Mezzanotte star in them. He wore a simple blue shirt with dark grey slacks, and had an unsheathed Forte Amore in his possession._

_Looking deeply angered, he passed the ghostly Vivian deeper into the manor. She followed him silently, until he came to the open doors of the meeting room, where most of the inner circle of the Mezzanotte family – including Xaviero and Annalisa – were chatting and generally having a good time._

_Xaviero noticed him standing there and said, "Ah, Nero my son. What brings you here?"_

_The smile and glad greetings only made Nero all the more angered. "How can you greet me so lightheartedly, father, when we both know the truth now?" he asked, causing Xaviero to become concerned as his brows furrowed and he frowned a little. "Is it true that Rosetta will be the next boss, and not me?"_

"_Now Nero, we never chose either of you as the next boss." Xaviero stated in reply seriously. "We have already decided on holding a fair match between the two of you as the deciding factor of who becomes boss."_

_His son let out a low growl before going on to say, "But you're obviously on her side! You've sent her off to an established mafia academy and what do I get? I have to stay home and learn my lessons here!"_

"_Nero! That was uncalled for!" Annalisa commented, surprised at her son's angered behavior. "Besides, you chose to threaten one of your teachers, and now you're paying the-."_

"_ENOUGH! I've had enough of this!" Nero yelled out, making all who were in the room jump. "Whether you deny it or not, you all are on Rosetta's side. I'm the oldest! I should be the boss automatically!" – Xaviero made a move to interject, but Nero continued before he could do so – "And if I can't have my way, then __**I wish you all would disappear and never come back!**__"_

_A wind then picked up in the room despite the windows being open, and all who were in the room disappeared except for Nero. At that moment, Vivian was pulled out of the vision as she once again became conscious in the present…_

* * *

Opening her eyes, Vivian found herself laying on an ornate blue couch, in a room that was quite unfamiliar to her. Instantly she noticed her uncle standing in the doorway and asked him, "Uncle Emilio, where are we?"

He jerked a little with surprise in response and turned around to face her, relieved that she had awakened.

"Don't worry, we're still at the Mezzanotte manor, we just couldn't have you laying in the entranceway, so we moved you here." Emilio explained. "Are you okay?" – Vivian nodded a little and he turned to the doorway – "I'm going to gather up everyone, so just sit tight okay?" With that he left the room to do as he had said.

Once everyone had come together, Vivian explained to everyone what she had seen in her vision.

"So you didn't see where they had been sent?" Vero asked her when she had finished.

"It's just like I said," Vivian answered simply. "One second they were there, and then the next they were gone."

"Meaning that Nero most likely used Word Conjuring to send them away somehow." Romario stated aloud with thought. "But according to what Rosetta has explained about that ability, he shouldn't have been able to do so…"

"So this vision she had didn't really answer any of the questions we've already asked." Shigure commented.

"That's another mystery atop a bunch of other ones." Squalo added. "Not only that, but also another wall we've run into!"

"Not necessarily." Antonio said in response. "Vero and I were just delving into past files and found something more about the sword Forte Amore." He then motioned for his boss to take over and Vero obliged.

"In the files we found a copy of a written receipt for the sword." He announced with confidence. "Turns out that Forte Amore was forged in China, by a blacksmith who goes by the name of Liáng."

"We're headed off to China then?" Squalo asked as he put two and two together.

"Yes, we are." Vero replied, smiling.

"To China then!" Shigure shouted with excitement as they then made plans to leave for the largest country in Asia…

* * *

**Words cannot express at this moment how sorry I am for those who have been waiting so long for this chapter! ( ) But I do have a good reason, and that is the hectic last couple of months of school and my job. **

**But now that I'm off for the summer, I should have more time to write more chapters and make it up to you guys! For those of you who have waited so patiently, thank you so much and your patience will be rewarded!**

**Till next time!**


	5. The Blacksmith Siblings

Once the private plane was all fueled up and ready to fly, they all left in it towards Liáng's blacksmith shop. It was located in the mountains, so the pilot had to find a flat area to land, which was quite far from the actual building, if you wanted to call it that.

It was actually a relatively large building, and then a small mansion off to the side, all enclosed in walls made of rock. They found a place to touch ground quite a ways from the plot of land,and hiked to their destination.

"You know the distance we have to walk didn't seem that long up in the air…" Vivian complained as she dragged her feet, tired already.

"Well according to the map," Antonio explained while checking it and their surroundings. "The main gate should be just up ahead."

Immediately the red haired female got a second wind as she raced ahead of the others, eager to get inside and rest. But when she got within a yard of the main gate, a tall, well-built man seemed to appear out of nowhere and swung his spear at her. Vivian let out a short scream as she stopped and dodged backwards; tripping and falling back into Vero's waiting arms.

"Thanks," she uttered with relief while Vero set her back up on her feet. She then turned her attention to the man as she continued. "Hey, what gives Mister?!" she shouted out with anger. "You almost sliced me in half with that spear of yours!"

"That was my intent." The man said simply in response.

He stood as tall as Squalo, with red brown colored eyes and dark brown – almost black – hair. His hair was a little beyond his shoulder, and tied in a loose ponytail, which hung over his right shoulder with some small strands hanging on the sides of his face. He wore bandages up to his chest under a loose dark green yukata-type top, which was hunched up and tied at his hips. Under that he wore loose greyish green pants that ended just above his ankles and simple sandals were on his feet.

The man then shifted into a battle-ready stance and added, "Try again, and you will find yourself in two pieces."

"I believe that's a threat you're making." Shigure stated, stepping forward with a handful of knives at the ready.

"Asking for a fight then scum?" Squalo asked at the same exact time.

Both then realized what had just happened and shot a quick glare at each other before focusing on the Chinese man once more.

"Hold up guys," Vero spoke up. "I don't want to start a fight." He then took a few steps up towards the man who threatened them and introduced himself.

"I'm Vero Cavallone," he said politely with a smile. "We were just going to inquire about my grandfather, Xaviero Mezzanotte, who-."

"I don't know either of those names, so go away and never come back!" the man he was talking to shouted as he swung his spear at the young Cavallone boss.

Luckily Squalo was quick enough to push him out of harm's way while blocking the attack with his blade.

"Voi! Looks like your peaceful approach didn't work out quite like you planned, eh brat?" he asked with a menacing smirk before pushing his opponent away. "This means we do things my way! You ready to get your ass kicked scum?!"

The young man growled in response and the two started to move to clash, but a lone woman's voice stopped them.

"STOP!" it sounded out from within the walls. "There is no need for pointless fighting."

The man sighed after a moment and then rested his weapon at his side as Squalo did the same not too long after. Then the female that the voice belonged to stepped out of the gate.

She stood five feet, six inches tall, with slightly clouded over light brown colored eyes, which possibly meant that she was blind. She had the same color hair as the man, grown out to just below her chest and weaved into a loose braid. Her bangs were parted in the middle and they framed her face. She wore a dark dusty purple yukata that ended just below her knees and had the sleeves tied up with a tasuki*, showing off multiple burns on her arms and legs. She was barefoot.

"Sister! You must stay within the walls!" the young man exclaimed with concern as he ran over to her. "It's dangerous to come walking out here!"

"Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I'm defenseless!" his sister replied, chewing him out. "Think of yourself instead, who practically charged into battle! What did our father teach us?"

The young man suddenly became a little kid, looking down and shuffling his feet in shame as he answered with, "To always represent peace…" – he then snapped his head up and pointed to Squalo – "But in my defense they had their weapons out well before they approached the wall!"

"VOI!" the silver haired man shouted with anger. "This things hard to remove! Besides you would've sliced someone in half if I hadn't had this equipped!"

The two men then glared at each other while letting out low growls. Finally the female turned her attention to the visitors as she asked, "I am deeply sorry for my younger brother's behavior. Might I ask what brings you all here to this remote location?"

"We're actually looking for someone who works here." Vero replied. "A blacksmith who goes by the name of Bingwhen Liáng."

At the mention of the name, both siblings jolted a little with surprised expressions before exchanging concerned looks with each other.

"You must be tired after your flight and long trek." The female said with a slightly forced smile. "Why don't you come inside and rest?"

She then walked back into the enclosed area, her brother following close behind. The visiting group followed behind with confused looks on their faces...

"At this moment, I would like to introduce myself and my brother." The dark brown haired female stated once they were all situated in the living room. "I am Jiao Liáng, and this is my younger brother Chao."

"The man you're looking for, Bingwhen Liáng is our father." Jiao's brother added. "Unfortunately, he passed away five years ago, leaving my sister and me to take over the blacksmithing business."

Upon hearing this, Vero became disheartened, and Jiao picked up on this as she told him, "Our father may be gone, but that doesn't mean that we can't help you. What do you need?"

Vero simply pulled out the sword Forte Amore and gingerly placed it into the female blacksmith's hands. She unsheathed it carefully, ran her hands slowly over it, and turned it over and over as she examined the blade.

After a few minutes she set it down in front of her before crossing her arms and bowing her head in thought.

"This sword has been through quite a lot since it was first made." She finally said as she stroked the blade gently with thought. "I can see much turmoil and confusion in its past. Was it wielded in the wrong hands, perhaps?"

"Yes, Nero my nephew stole it when he was young and used it for his wrong doings." Antonio answered solemnly.

"I believe it has now found its rightful owner." Jiao continued with a smile in Vero's direction. "Perhaps it was even intended for you when my father's old friend came and asked for it to be made. He was Italian, just like you, and went by the name of Xaviero."

"Yes! That's my grandfather's name!" the young Cavallone boss exclaimed, glad that she knew of him. "Do you…Do you know where he might be, or if he even came by here?"

For a moment Jiao was surprised at Vero's sudden excitement, before her face fell and she answered with, "No, unfortunately I haven't seen him since he came to pick up the finished blade…"

Vero looked down dejectedly as the Liáng siblings then left to get dinner together for them and their guests, as it was getting too dark to leave. So they left everyone to regroup and find out where they were to head next.

"VOI! This is turning out to be a wild goose chase!" Squalo shouted out angrily as he then turned to Vero. "Wait! What about your crazy ass uncle?! Does he know anything?!"

"I don't think so…" Vero replied quickly. "He told me that he just sent them away and Vivian didn't see anything relevant in her vision so…"

A moment of silence passed, and then Shigure suddenly said, "Nero must have remembered something these past couple of years though…" – he trailed off and continued softly – "I mean, it couldn't hurt to go ask at least…"

The others thought for a moment, and then turned their gaze to Vero, waiting to see what he wanted to do. He remained in thought for a long while.

"I don't know. Somehow I've got a bad feeling about going to the Vindiche prison…" he started slowly. Someone was about to suggest they go home instead then, when he continued with a shrug, saying, "But, as Shigure said, what harm can it do to go and ask?"

"So we'll be going then boss?" Romario asked.

Vero answered yes, as the group then broke to pass the time until dinner, whether it was leisure or business. Before they knew it, they were also staying the night and soon enough the next day came and farewells were said.

"You're welcome back anytime for a sword upgrade Squalo.~" Jiao exclaimed as he climbed into the plane.

"That's the last time I ever let a woman touch my blade…" the silver haired swordsman muttered with annoyance.

Vero chuckled as he started to follow him into the plane, when the female blacksmith called him back. "What is it?" he asked curiously as he approached.

"It's about that young man Shigure…" Jiao replied, dead serious. "I wouldn't trust him if I were you. Something about that man just seems like he has an ulterior motive…"

Vero gazed at her surprised and a little lost. That's when her brother cut in and added, "Trust me when I say that my sister is a better judge of character than I am, and when she says she has a bad feeling about someone, she's usually dead on."

The young Cavallone boss took this information in thoughtfully, nodded, and told them that he'd keep a close eye on Shigure. Vero then climbed into the plane and took off towards the Vindiche prison, still feeling like he hadn't gotten any closer to finding his relatives' whereabouts…

* * *

***A Tasuki is a strip of cloth that's tied around the sleeves of a yukata or kimono and crossed over in the back, similar to what Chiharu wears in Spirited Away.**

**Getting this done just a little quicker, though I wish I hadn't had that writer's block earlier… Anyway, I did the math, and there are just two or three more chapters to go before it's wrapped up! Thanks for the follows and faves; they motivate me so much! Reviews are also welcomed too! **

**Till next time then!**


	6. Ambushed!

Luckily for them, it wasn't snowing quite as hard as it usually did up in the snowy mountains where the Vendicare prison was located, so they had a smooth landing. It was still pretty cold though, so heavy winter coats were passed out before they went over their plan of action.

"What?! You've got to go in alone Vero?" Shigure shouted in protest after their discussion had finished. "Why can't we come in with you?"

"Voi! Think about it you idiot!" Squalo stated in response, a little annoyed at the teal-haired man's incompetence. "There's no way they'd just let anybody without an appointment in there to possibly wreak havoc."

"Besides, who's to say that some of us don't have a bad past with the Vindiche?" Antonio added, earning himself a glare from the silver haired swordsman.

"Anyway, the only one who has an appointment with the Vindiche is Vero." Romario finished.

"And that's where I take my leave." The young Cavallone boss announced before doing so.

Everything was white outside, as the mountains were all covered with a thick blanket of snow. Vero looked up to the sky just as a new flurry had started to fall, and then he turned his gaze to the ominous opening in the mountainside that was the entrance to the Vendicare prison. He felt a little uncertain, even a little anxious, as he stared at the gate for a moment. But he steeled himself and took a few steps forward just as the gate opened, revealing two Vindiche guards waiting for him within.

"Vero Cavallone, here to see Nero Mezzanotte by appointment." The young Cavallone boss announced.

For a moment the guards were silent, until they spoke as one saying, "Verify," as they pulled out a small black box with a hole big enough for a ring in the top. It looked exactly like a box animal box, but it was a recent invention used to tell if an individual was a fraud or the real deal.

Vero approached the two guards and ignited his flames before placing the ring into the hole. Immediately afterwards the box started humming and thin angular green lines lit up, proving that Vero was truly who he said he was.

The Vindiche holding the box put it away, and the two of them said, "Follow," before turning and withdrawing into the prison. Vero did as they said and entered right behind them.

He was led through dark tunnels lit by torches that were hung on the walls and spaced out every yard, to a thick iron door that seemed as if it was carved into the tunnel wall. The door was opened and there his uncle Nero stood, waiting for his nephew with open arms.

In the two years that Nero had spent in the prison, he hadn't changed much at all. That is, except for his hair, which had grown out to his shoulders, still slicked back but not sticking out like it was before. He wore a very simple light grey thin cotton shirt with matching pants and shackles on his wrists, possibly made to bind his powers.

"Hey, there he is! You know, when the guards told me that you were coming, it really threw me for a loop!" Nero greeted happily, confusing his nephew as he put his arm around his shoulder. "Did you come to bust me out?" – the Vindiche guards tensed up and reached for their chains in response to his statement – "Woah now boys! I didn't mean it that way!"

They calmed down and Nero sent a questioning look to Vero.

"Oh, mm…that's not really for me to decide on alone." The young Cavallone boss answered simply.

"Aw man…Oh well, a man can hope. Could've at least helped a guy out and brought some hair gel…" Nero commented, somewhat disheartened before realizing that they had been standing a while. "Oh do forgive me and my bad manners! Come inside and we'll talk some more."

He then stepped aside for Vero to walk into the room. The young Cavallone boss did so, finding himself in an empty room with a table and two chairs in the middle. It was also lit by fire torches.

"This isn't your room is it?" Vero asked with confusion.

"Oh no. My humble abode is further inside. We're sort of meeting in the middle." His uncle replied as the door closed with a clang and the two sat at the table. "So what did you come here for, if not to let me out?"

Nero paused for a moment, uncertain, but faced his uncle and said seriously, "I need to know if you've remembered something…anything since two years ago."

"I'm sorry Vero, but it's still all a blur for me. All I remember is what I told you two years ago when I was awakened by your healing attack."

"Awakened?" Vero became confused.

"Yeah, back when I was young, my jealousy of my sister summoned something evil, and it took me over, causing me to do the evil things I did. I was only able to send my parents and yours away because of my strong feelings not to harm them."

"Then how come you didn't hold back against me?"

"I had lost control of that part of me, so he took over and tried to kill you. Trust me, if he had succeeded, then we'd be finding those who I sent away and slaughtering them."

"Are you sure that's all you remember?"

"If I had remembered anything at all to let you know where our family was, I would've already told you by now." Vero answered, noticing his nephew becoming disheartened. "But don't lose heart. I may not have remembered where you sent them, but they are alive and they are out there somewhere."

Vero then stood up and made a move to leave, but before he walked out the door, Nero spoke up and said, "Once you do find my parents and yours, will you put in a good word for my release?"

The young Cavallone boss turned back to face his uncle and nodded with a smile before walking out the door with a casual wave.

Vero followed the Vindiche guards to the gate and then entered the plane to relay the information he had learned to the group.

"So he still hadn't remembered anything about where he sent everyone?" Antonio asked after he had finished.

"Then that means that we came here for nothing!" Squalo said, angered.

"I'm sorry for leading us to a dead end." Shigure announced sincerely.

"I'm sorry for leading us on such a large goose chase…" Vivian added solemnly.

"No one has to be sorry. After all, we did learn a lot of things on this journey." Vero stated in response. "We've just got to piece it all together to make better sense of it. Let's go back to my place, get some rest, and then sort out all of our information."

Everyone agreed, and they set course for the Cavallone manor, not knowing that there was someone lying in wait for them…

"Ugh…What happened back there?" Vero asked, slowly opening his eyes. He felt pain everywhere, and couldn't move at all.

Upon further inspection, he had been tied up with everyone. Vivian was the only one who was tied up separately and held by one of the men surrounding them.

"Apparently we got ambushed by the Alvisio once we had walked through the door. Romario answered. "They got us pretty good boss…"

"I'd say," Squalo added angrily. Wait till I get free and give these scumbags a taste of my blade!"

At that moment Shigure freed himself and stood, saying, "That's funny, because without it you're just a mangy mutt without its bite."

"What?!" the silver haired swordsman exclaimed as he noticed one of the men holding his sword hand.

Shigure smirked menacingly and kicked Squalo for good measure and then joined the men looming over them.

"Shigure, what are you doing?" Vero asked with slight surprise. "I thought you were on our side!"

"You must be pretty thick in the head then," the teal haired man stated with a condescending smirk. "because if you had listened to Squalo and that blacksmith chick, then none of this would've happened."

"So you've been an Alvisio from the start?" Antonio asked further.

"Yes. In fact, I've been looking for a good opportunity to get back at the Mezzanotte famiglia, and it fell right into my lap." Shigure explained. "You see Vero, your mother wronged our boss, and I was going to make you pay for her travesties, but since you were trying to find her I thought I would do the same to you as she did to me, by taking her permanently out of your life." – he paused while moving over to where Vivian was – "But unfortunately we have yet to come across any big leads, and I'm a very impatient man, so I'm taking the next best thing."

"Vivian?!" Emilio yelled out with anger and shock. "You want her to find Rosetta for your revenge?!"

"Oh no. I want her power so we could find our boss." Shigure replied as he turned to face the red haired female. "So tell me, where does your power come from?"

"I don't know where it comes from!" Vivian answered quickly. "One day I didn't have it, the next I did. I have no idea how I got it!"

"You lie! Power like what you have must come from something tangible!" Shigure yelled as he grabbed her collar. "Tell me now or your precious friends lose their lives!"

Vivian gazed over at her friends and family with a little worry before turning back to her enemy with a defiant growl. She then took a change and bit her captor's hand as hard as she could.

"Gargh!" Shigure yelled out with pain as she clenched her teeth even harder on his hand. "You witch!" He then kicked Vivian hard in the stomach, making her fly back and hit the wall before falling to the ground unconscious.

"VIVIAN!" Vero shouted out as the deed was done. "YOU BASTARD!"

"Ah, looks like I overdid it." Shigure commented nonchalantly before noticing that he had accidentally grabbed Vivian's ring and broke the lace it was on, leaving him holding it.

He was about to throw it away, when he paused and gazed at the lone emerald bejeweled silver ring for a minute.

Realization washed over him, as he laughed with relief and said, "So this is what I was looking for? A mere ring?" – he laughed a little more – "Let's go boys. We've got what we came for. Let's blow this joint."

"But what about these tied up punks?" one of his men asked curiously.

"Them? They're too broken and betrayed to try and break out." Shigure replied as he continued walking to the door. "Besides what's more important; finishing them off now or finding our boss as soon as possible?"

His men gazed at each other in silence before shrugging and following their superior out the door.

Once they had gone, Squalo sneered and said, "Broken and betrayed my ass," as he broke out of his binding effortlessly. "They're all bark and no bite, plus they tied us up all wrong. We could've broken out and beat them up easy."

"Then how come we didn't?" Vero asked while the silver haired swordsman reattached his sword to his arm. "We could've prevented this happening to Vivian…"

"A man's gotta know when to fight, and when to shut up and wait." Squalo replied. "We decided to do the latter because we wouldn't have won at the time. Besides, we can find them later and dish out the punishments, because her situation is more dire right now."

"He's right Vero." Emilio added, kneeling by his unconscious niece and freeing her. "We need to get Vivian to the hospital first."

* * *

**It's coming down to the end, with a chapter or two to go! I'm so excited to finish this the right way! The next chapter isn't too far away now! Hope you enjoy! ;)**


	7. The Ring Retrieval

Vivian was admitted into the ER at the nearest hospital, and was found to have quite a few broken ribs, which meant that it would take a few weeks to heal. Seeing as they had quite a bit of time on their hands, Squalo left back to the Varia hideout to report, while Vero set out to find where the Alvisio were hiding. Emilio stayed by Vivian's side the whole time.

Once he had figured out where the Alvisio's hideout was, Vero made this vow at Vivian's bedside…

"I swear I'll find the bastard that did this to you and make him pay for all he's done to you!" he said to an unconscious Vivian.

"You found where they were hiding then?" Emilio asked, as Vero nodded silently. "When are you leaving?"

Vero stood up and said, "Now" before turning and leaving the room. Outside in the hall he encountered Antonio and Romario.

Vero looked confused and made to say something, when Antonio spoke up and said, "You didn't think you were going in alone, did you?"

"Well no. Not really." Vero answered as he just noticed Squalo standing in their way to the exit. "But I thought you weren't coming back Squalo. What are you doing in your uniform?"

This uniform – the Varia uniform – consisted of a black fur hooded dark grey jacket-top which ended just under his bottom, with light yellow accents on the sides and sleeves, and around his waist was a belt. He was wearing matching pants, with the same colored accents running down the sides of the legs. On his feet were black double buckled ankle boots, and on his right hand was a white glove and Varia rain ring.

"Finding and putting an end to the Alvisio has now become the Varia's duty." The silver haired swordsman answered seriously.

The young Cavallone boss' eyes widened at his reply as he said, "What?! I thought we would all go together to retrieve Vivian's ring!"

"Well I'm going in alone now as it's my boss' orders." Squalo stated as he turned and made to leave. "And his orders trump yours, so I suggest you stay here and wait until I'm done with my mission…"

"No." Vero said, making Squalo stop in his tracks. The silver haired swordsman turned to face Vero with an angered expression, and he continued.

"All of this is my fault, because I made the mistake of letting Shigure join our group." Vero continued. "I just want to make this right, and the only way to do that is to defeat Shigure myself and bring Vivian's ring back to her." – he then smirked – "Besides, do _you_ know where the Alvisio are hiding out?"

Squalo's eyes widened with surprise before he glared silently into Vero's determined and sly eyes, until he closed his own and growled angrily.

"DAMMIT FINE!" he shouted out at the top of his lungs before stomping towards the exit. "But it's your funeral! And _I_ get to finish off that punkass scumbag!"

"Agreed!" the young Cavallone boss said in response as he and his right hand men followed him out of the hospital…

"According to our informants, Shigure and his men should be hiding out here." Antonio said as they approached the entrance to a long abandoned warehouse.

"There aren't any men around that I could see…" Vero added with concern. "Do you think they've already left the place?"

"No, or else we would have already been informed." Antonio replied simply, implying that another Mezzanotte member or two had been keeping an eye on the place.

"They must not suspect a thing, and that's our best shot. Let's move in." Squalo added.

They all did so quickly and before entering the building they went over a plan of attack.

"You two go in; distract and capture the weaker scum." Squalo said to the two right hand men. "I'll take care of the slightly stronger ones. And you," – he turned to Vero – "I'm giving you three hours to do what you need to do before I come and step in."

"I think I can manage that." The young Cavallone boss said in response.

The group then went in in order; Antonio and Romario going in first, then Squalo, and finally Vero.

As he snuck in, careful just in case someone was missed, he noticed that no one was around at all. Hoping that the others hadn't been captured, Vero walked up slowly to the last door and opened it.

"I thought you would be showing your face here." Shigure stated with his back turned from the door. "We were just about to leave and look for the boss, when you guys showed up and offed my men."

"That's the Varia's job, and I'm glad they got it done. Vero said in reply. "It means that I could get mine done without any interruptions."

"Oh, and what would that be?" the teal haired male asked while turning to face his visitor. "This ring, perhaps?" – he showed it off by holding up his right hand, as it was on that hand's ring finger – "You'll have to cut it off first, if you can bring yourself to do so."

"If that's what I must do to get it back for my friend…" Vero stated, unsheathing his blade.

Shigure just smirked in response and said, "I didn't think you had it in you."

"Only when you hurt my friends and family do I come back at you with all I've got!" Vero replied with slight anger and determination.

"Let's see what you've got then!" Shigure responded with his challenge.

Vero complied, as he rushed forward to meet Shigure in battle, swinging his sword at him. Shigure didn't move an inch, as he pulled out two of his knives and used them to block the sword. He then smirked and tapped his right heel once on the ground, revealing a hidden knife that slid out from under the front of the boot. With this done he quickly backed up and kicked at Vero's face. Vero picked up on this quick, but not quickly enough, for he backed out of the attack with a thin scratch along his left cheek.

"That's fighting dirty!" Vero shouted angrily as he wiped the blood off his cheek.

"Well, you didn't say anything against it before we started." Shigure commented while stomping his heel to put the knife away. "Besides, I thought you were expecting it from such a backstabbing traitor like me."

Vero only glared at his opponent silently before attacking again. But this opponent was clever and calculating, always one step ahead. He dodged and blocked all of Vero's attacks without any trouble and his attacks were quite effective as he never seemed to run out of his throwing knives. Soon enough Vero's time was up, he was pinned to the wall by Shigure's knives, and the man himself was about to put an end to his life when Squalo walked into the room.

"Seriously?!" the silver haired swordsman shouted as he gazed at the scene before him. "I give you three hours to do your job, and you go and screw it up! Guess I'll have to take care of it myself…"

He then ran at Shigure fast to attack and get him away from Vero. As he fought Shigure off, Squalo yelled at Vero to get himself out. The young Cavallone boss complied, and left the building to meet up with his men.

"How did it go, boss?" Romario asked as Vero walked out the doors.

"Well, Squalo had to come and rescue me," the young Cavallone boss replied sheepishly. "But not before I nabbed this little beauty." – he then pulled out Vivian's ring from his coat pocket and showed it off with a smirk – "Pulled it right off his finger at the last minute without him noticing."

"Honestly, you're as frighteningly clever as your mother and as sticky fingered as your uncle…" Antonio commented with a smile. "For all the good reasons, of course."

Suddenly the door opened and Squalo stalked out saying, "The deed is done but I couldn't find the ring anywhere…on him…" – he trailed off as he noticed Vero with the ring – "What the…How the hell did you get that?!"

"I nabbed it." The young Cavallone boss replied simply.

"But you let him beat you up…" the silver haired swordsman continued.

"Yeah." Vero said normally with a shrug. "I figured halfway through our battle that if I didn't have a chance of winning, I might as well bide my time before you came to help me out. So I stole the ring and held him off 'till then."

For a moment Squalo looked like he was going to kill Vero too, but then he sighed angrily and said, "I'm gonna go report back to base."

"Okay, we'll see you at the hospital in a few." Vero stated in reply before they went their separate ways…

"We're back." Vero announced as he and his men entered Vivian's room.

"How'd it go?" Emilio asked while his niece hid her face under her blanket, as she was awake at the moment.

"The retrieval was a success." Antonio answered with a smile while his boss turned concerned eyes to the fiery haired female.

"Hey what's wrong Vivian?" Vero asked her, making her jump.

"N-Nothing…It's just my face…" she replied sheepishly, her voice muffled by her covering.

He turned his quizzical gaze to Emilio, looking for an answer to her behavior. He chuckled a little and replied with, "She's very self-conscious about how she looks without her glasses on."

"But I've seen her multiple times when she was unconscious here." Vero commented as a matter of factly. "Besides, I happen to think that she looks way prettier without them."

There was then a moment of silence in which all the other men gazed at Vero with looks that seemed to say, "Oh is there some feelings of love coming through that comment?"

Vero spoke out in reply with, "What? I was just being nice," while he blushed a little.

Vivian took the earlier comment to heart and peeked from under the blanket. "Do I really look prettier without them? You're not lying?"

Vero nodded in reply before she slowly pulled the covering away from her face, blushing all the while.

"Now that that's done…" the young Cavallone boss started while pulling the ring out of his coat pocket. "I've brought what's rightfully yours back to you." He then made a move to give it to her, but she just looked at it, and then turned her gaze to Vero.

As their eyes met, his confused ones with her sure ones, she told him, "Actually Vero…the ring's rightful owner…is you…"


	8. Truths

A silence fell in the room; the only kind of silence where you can hear the slightest sound, like a pin dropping. It seemed to last for hours, but it was only a minute before Vero asked, "What do you mean that I'm the ring's rightful owner…?"

"It means just that." Vivian replied simply. "It belongs to you, Vero. I was just…keeping it safe for you."

Vero still looked quite lost as he tried to wrap his mind around it before saying, "But…how do you know this?"

"Somehow having the ring for as long as I have has given me some sort of spiritual connection with it." Vivian explained openly. "While I was in a deep sleep after being separated with it, a nice elderly man visited me in a dream and told me everything – including that the ring belongs to you." – she trailed off, noticing everyone's blank looks towards her – "I know, that it sounds a little crazy, but it really did happen."

"What did the elderly man look like?" Antonio suddenly asked.

Vivian was taken off guard for a moment, before she told them all how the man in her dream looked. "…and he wore your Mezzanotte ring, Vero." She finished.

Antonio and Vero exchanged mildly surprised expressions as Antonio muttered aloud, "Mezzanotte Primo…"

"You know who the elderly man is?" Vivian asked curiously.

"Yes. It seems the first Mezzanotte boss was speaking personally with you in your dreams." Antonio replied.

"How?" she questioned further. "If he's the first, hasn't he passed away already?"

"Not exactly." Vero explained. "If this ring is like mine, then it too has a piece of the first Mezzanotte boss' soul melded with it."

"So what did the Mezzanotte Primo speak with you about?" Emilio asked.

"Well first he started with how every baby born into the Mezzanotte family stemmed from the first, always had some sort of special ability. He told me that he had all of them; his seeing into the future, Illusione a Mezzanotte, and Word Conjuring, among many others. And he told me to tell you not to worry Vero. You're just a late bloomer he said." Vivian explained with a smile before turning serious again.

"He then began telling me that he would start writing in endless journals things that would happen in the future, possible events that could be prevented only by the Mezzanotte famiglia. But one event intrigued him the most and that was the foreseeing of the battle between the twin siblings Rosetta and Nero ten generations from his own. He had already issued for a ring to be made, and put a part of his soul-."

"Voi! We already know all that!" Squalo interrupted, notifying everyone that he had arrived from reporting to his boss. "Now get to the part that we don't!" Everyone paused and sent a little glare to him before turning their attention back to Vivian as she continued.

"Anyway, the ring was already made, and he had planned for the ring to break into two, to make it a fair battle to determine the next boss. But what we didn't know was that his plan was going to fail." she said solemnly. "You see, the first boss had two sons, and without a fair battle he had chosen the younger, as he knew the older would sully the Mezzanotte name. The older left home, vowing to claim what was rightfully his, even if it would drive him to ending the Mezzanotte family for good. This worried the first boss, as he realized the same would happen to Nero, for in his visions he had seen some of his older son in Nero..."

"So he must've seen Nero being possessed by the older son, just like he told me when I visited him!" Vero stated aloud, slowly putting the pieces together. "So just that little seed of jealousy had called the older son's vengeful spirit to take control of him..."

"Hence all of the evil crimes he had committed." Antonio finished. "Did the Mezzanotte Primo try to remedy this?"

"Yes. In fact, he created that second ring so that his sons - and Rosetta and Nero - could work together and both be bosses of the same famiglia. Unfortunately it was too late for his older son, and his hope for the twin siblings had died when the ring was lost by the Mezzanotte Terzo in America..." Vivian answered.

"But how did you acquire the ring?" Romario asked curiously.

"I actually found it in a discount basket at an outside market. I felt some sort of instant connection with it as soon as I saw it, so I bought it and it's been with me ever since." Vivian replied. "It was not long after that when I would think of something I lost and then miraculously find it minutes later because of a vision I had." - she paused as she turned to Vero. - "Now, the last thing he told me was to fuse the two rings together to become one, seeing as Rosetta's time as boss has passed and you've officially become the next one."

"And how do I do that?" Vero asked.

Vivian held out her hand for the emerald ring. Vero gave it to her, and then she instructed him to remove his ring and place it into her hand. He did so, and the last thing she asked him to do was take her hand in his.

He did so, and at first nothing happened. Vero was about to loosen his grip, when suddenly the bright white light shone and nearly blinded all who were in the room. Then just as quick, it was gone and when Vivian removed her hand, there were no longer two rings sitting in Vero's hand, but one single ring, with a teal colored stone set in it.

The young Cavallone gazed at it for a long while, before Squalo urged him by saying, "Well, what are you waiting for? Put it on already!"

He did, and once it was slipped all the way on his finger, his eyes widened with shock as he had a revelation. What he didn't know was that he fell unconscious for a few moments before he woke up with a loud gasp.

"Boss!" Romario shouted as this happened.

"What happened?!" Antonio asked with concern.

"The ring..." Vero answered simply. "It showed me exactly where everyone is!"

* * *

**I am SO terribly sorry guys! I didn't realize that this chapter was unfinished until rather recently! I have fixed it and it's complete now, but words cannot express how sorry I am for the confusion I might have caused! Once again, I am sorry.**


	9. Onwards to a Certain Future!

All who were in the room exclaimed with surprise as he continued with, "Quick! I need a piece of paper and something to write with before I forget these coordinates!"

He received what he had asked for and immediately scrawled the coordinates that had flashed in his mind down.

After it was written down Antonio proceeded to look it up. "The coordinates make up a legitimate location boss." He said. "It looks like a tiny island clear on the other side of Europe." – he gazed at his boss, as if to look for an answer – "Should we investigate boss?"

"I think we should wait for Vivian to heal fully before we head out." Vero replied. "I know it's a bit risk but I believe it's fair that we all go investigate this island together."

It was a while before everyone eventually agreed to wait on Vivian's healing process, which didn't take any more than two weeks, seeing as the four weeks before were used trying to locate the Alvisio.

The waiting was brutal on everyone, but soon they had their transportation ready, and off they went after the two weeks were up. On the first leg of the trip, they flew a plane to Japan, and then from there, they sailed to the location that Vero had a vision of. Once a day had passed, and night fell, the island was in sight, and Vero began to get anxious.

Vivian, who was standing next to him on the deck, picked up on this. "Are you going to be okay?" she asked with concern as the two watched the island grow larger and approached the end of their journey.

"To be honest…I don't know." Vero answered. "Until Nero told me the truth, I had…accepted my parents' deaths, but now that we're about to really find out whether they're dead or alive…I'm lost at what I'm going to do…"

"All this time, you've been so strong; using your head to make all of the decisions to lead us here…" Vivian told him calmly. "Maybe now is the time to let your heart decide how to accept this situation."

"Yeah, you're right." The Cavallone boss commented with a bittersweet smile. "I just hope they're all okay…"

A few silent minutes passed before dawn started to break and Squalo, who was perched higher up on the ship, announced, "VOI! I see someone on the shore! Not sure they're who we're looking for though…"

"Take a look through this then." Emilio told him in reply as he handed the silver haired swordsman a pocket telescope.

Squalo took it and looked through it before he said, "Nope. I can surely say that's your crazy mom on the beach. No doubt about it."

"Are you sure?!" Vero asked him with a shocked expression as he turned to look at the man who had announced it.

"Yeah, what part of 'no doubt about it' don't you understand?" Squalo commented as he jumped down to Vero's level. "If you don't believe me, then see for yourself."

The young Cavallone boss took the telescope and turned back towards the island, looking through it. Sure enough, there she was, jumping up and down, trying to get the attention of the ship, as it was still pretty far away. Vero urged them to get to shore faster, they released the anchor into the ocean, and then made their way to shore in the row boats.

"Oh my gosh! Dino, hurry!" Rosetta exclaimed on the shore with bursting happiness. "It's Vero! Vero's found us!"

Her husband emerged from one of the shelters nearby with Alessa in tow. Once he had seen who was in the approaching boats, his eyes widened before a big grin lit up his face at the sight of the people he knew.

"Vero!" Rosetta shouted as she and Dino ran out to the ocean to meet their son in a tight hug. "Vero, it's really you!"

"You have no idea…" he said in response, almost in a whisper as his eyes teared up. "How long I've missed you!"

"Oh Vero…" his mother said with a smile, tearing up herself.

"You're here now, and that's all that matters…" his father added.

"Hey, are we chopped liver?" Emilio commented as the rest of the party walked to shore.

"Everyone…?" Rosetta uttered as the tears began to flow. "Everyone came?"

"Well we couldn't stand by and let Vero do all this on his own." Antonio answered, Romario nodding in agreement.

"Even you Squalo?" Dino asked with a chuckle.

"Well, you know…I…" the silver haired swordsman muttered as the lightest of blushes appeared on his cheeks.

"Aw Squalo! You missed us!" Rosetta said while bringing him into a hug.

The silver haired swordsman then became defensive as he tried to pull her off. Being unsuccessful in his attempts, he turned to his old classmate and yelled, "VOI! Would you rein you woman in Dino?!"

"I'm not a horse Squalo!" Rosetta shouted out as she pulled away and glared at him.

"My it looks like nothing changed at all." Emilio spoke up. "But I was hoping….Is there any chance a separation might have occurred?"

"No, sorry but Rosetta and I are still eternally bound, and have had another child." Dino replied immediately with his arm wrapped around his wife's shoulder.

"Well it was worth a try…" Emilio commented.

"Have you really had the baby safely?" Vero asked with surprise before he was introduced to his little sister Alessa.

At that moment, Xaviero and Annalisa, along with the other inner circle Mezzanotte members, emerged from the forest after gathering supplies. Further tearful reunions and introductions were made, before the group mad it back to the ship for the return trip home. On the way, Vero shared everything that had happened since his parents' disappearance, after Antonio shared what had happened even before that.

"So many things have happened since we were gone. It'll be a little disorienting." Rosetta commented with a smile. "I'm sorry that we couldn't be there for you as you grew, Vero…"

"It's okay, I had lots of help from my friends." Her son replied. "Even Nero helped out a little, by telling the truth about you guys."

"Has he really changed, as you said?" Xaviero asked with concern.

"Significantly." Vero answered. "He's even asked for an early release from me. I decided to leave that choice to you."

"Well, seeing as you've told us that he was somehow possessed," Annalisa said aloud with thought. "I think we can afford to turn the other cheek and give our son another chance…"

"I would like to agree…" Xaviero said in response. "But I would like to witness this change for myself before we agree to release him."

Further subjects like this were discussed, such as who would be boss, seeing as none of them had truly died. They all agreed on Vero continuing, as he had been doing a good job so far. Although the previous bosses would still be helping out, as Xaviero and Annalisa volunteered to overlook the western countries, to ease Vero's responsibilities.

Soon they had arrived home after the plane ride, and after touching ground, they had lost sight of Vivian. Vero was the first to notice that she was gone, and asked if anyone had seen her.

"Oh, you mean that cute red haired girl?" Rosetta asked. "I saw her head off in the direction of the gazebo."

Vero was about to run off in that direction, when Emilio stopped him and said, "Hey, be gentle with her. She's been through a lot…"

The young boss nodded and went to the gazebo. Sure enough, she was there, sitting on the floor looking sad and dejected.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked as he approached and sat next to her. "Why'd you come all the way over here?"

For a long while she was silent, until she finally muttered, "You've got a pretty strong bond with your family, even though you haven't seen each other in so long…"

"Where did that come from?" Vero asked curiously.

"Well…I've been with my parents all this time and we don't even have what you have anymore." Vivian explained sadly. "The only thing that my parents care about is money since I've had the ring. Now that I don't have it anymore, I don't even know that they'll see past their love for money to me…"

"That sounded a little harsh, but I can kind of see where you're coming from…"

"Yeah, that's why I'm jealous of you and your family bonds. I wish my parents would go back to the way they were before and just love me…for me…"

"Well…If they don't…You can come back to us." Vero proposed as he stood up in front of her. "We'll all welcome you with open arms and love you just as it you were a part of our family" – Vivian gazed up at him with surprise as he returned the gaze with a welcoming smile – "So what do you say?"

Vivian smiled with determination and took his hand before saying, "I say…yes!"

* * *

**And that's the end to the last chapter for Vero! Sorry for so much waiting you've had to do since my slacking in writing this, I was just trying to make this story the best that it could be.**

**Anyway, a special thanks to Akira Amano, who made such a wonderful universe and characters (of which I give all the credit to). All of the OCs belong to me though!**

**And…I think that's it. Hope you all have a good life, and look forward to my next story!**


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